Hengifoss and Skriðuklaustur, 18 Aug 2026
Today was a more relaxed day. We did a hike this morning up to Hengifoss, which was pretty steep going up. We then went to Skriðuklaustur, which used to be the home of writer Gunnar Gunnarsson. After that, it was relaxation time.
Hengifoss
We once again did a family-style breakfast and got quickly on the road. This time we went to Hengifoss, which we could see high up the hill from the parking lot. The trail was immediately steep with a set of stairs, then continued up. We kept getting glimpses of Hengifoss and other waterfalls along the Hengifossá River, including Stuðlabergsfoss which flowed among columnar basalt.
When we got to the top of the falls, we stuck around for a while to admire the falls, then started our way down. Instead of doing a complete out-and-back hike, there was a bridge which crossed the Hengifossá River, then we hiked down the other side, crossing another bridge to get back to where we started. There were a couple of waterfalls we saw on the way down which were hidden from the hike up, so it was good we made the hike a loop.
Skriðuklaustur
We did a quick drive to Skriðuklaustur, first going to the visitor center. After walking through the exhibits, we walked down the trail towards Gunnarshús, Gunnar Gunnarsson’s home. Along the way, there was a small labyrinth which we went through, then through two rows of birch trees. The house itself looks like stone and white mortar, which is quite striking.
There were several exhibits in the house, not only about Gunnarsson, but also about the monastery which used to be on the site. It was an Augustinian monastery which existed from the late 15th century until the middle of the 16th century, until Iceland’s Reformation.
After going through the exhibits, we went to the basement to the restaurant, Klausturkaffi, which offered an impressive buffet of Icelandic food. The emphasis is on regional ingredients (the server was proud of that fact), and every one of the many dishes was great. They also had a selection of desserts which was included with the buffet. It was admittedly pricey, but we figured it was worth a splurge.
We then returned to the hostel. After a quick stop, most of the people went to Sundlaug for the pools, hot tubs, and sauna, but we decided to stay behind and went to a café instead. Before too long, it was time for dinner, so we ordered some soup at the café. The rest of the evening was going to the grocery store, then relaxing.
